Before we get started I wanted to update you all that my, "How to Draw Adorable" book has arrived to port and is making its way through customs and warehouses etc. I am hoping they will be back in stock in a few weeks!
This weeks tip is all about drawing characters in perspective!
If you've ever drawn a character and felt like something was off and you couldn't quite put your finger on it, then it may be because of perspective!
Now I'll be honest this was really tricky for me in the beginning until I was able to understand how circles change as they move away from the eye. It's actually fairly simple, let me show you!
The word "ellipse" just means a circle in perspective. It would be kinda confusing to still say "circle" since the shape changes to an oval or a flat line as it moves away from the eye level.
So the key take away here is to understand how a circle changes shape. A coin at eye level will look flat, but if you lift it above your head you'll eventually see a full circle. This is also true if you tilt the coin up or down. If you were to take a tube and look at the circular cross sections inside of it you'll see the same thing.
Let's apply this to a character:
The parts of the body should curve up, down or flatten out depending on where they are in relation to eye level. Now can you see the difference between these two drawings I showed in the beginning?
I use ellipses in my characters allllll the time to help me draw them. It also helps me keep the shapes feeling round and voluminous instead of flat.
I'd love to see you practice this! Feel free to tag me @carliannecreates on social media. But if you'd like even more help...
This month my Patrons are getting the first version of my simple perspective workbook! I will take their feedback and requests and finalize my workbook and it will be available in my shop approximately next month.
Happy creating!
- Carlianne